here is nbc's vicky nguyen >> reporter: a consumer website, retailmenot, is jump-starting the shopping season at midnight with 20% cash back from hundreds of major retailers. here's how it works. first you have to create an account with retailmenot. starting as midnight, this is where hundreds of retailers will show up with their deals. click on the deal you're interested in, click on the activate and shop tab, it will redirect you to the retailer you want and you can start shopping the deals vary from store to for and remember, they're online only. you'll see your cash back in 45 days. click redeem reward. you can get it from ven venmo, paypal, or a gift card. >> you'll find a category on that particular store on cashback today >> reporter: skurconsumer are expected to spend $730 billion this season sales and discounts are the number one reason shoppers say

nbc's vicky nguyen tonight with the price you pay. >> reporter: 'tis the season to get customers into stores and keep them there. to compete with the convenience of online shopping, many businesses are changing the in-store experience. >> lots of options to eat and drink. a beauty haven, which is a full floor of beauty services from blowouts to waxing and brow bars. >> reporter: nordstrom in new york city is focused on providing services you can't get in front of a computer part of the in-store experience at this nordstrom, having food delivered to you while you shop and for the nonshoppers in your house, a martini bar to wait it out >> nordstrom is like my second home >> i'm going to shop after i get beautified. >> reporter: in los angeles, casper mattress allows people to take naps on the merchandise. >> something that you use every day for sleep, i thought we'd come to this store and to actually try it out. >> reporter: at levi's, shoppers can customize their jeans on-site. >> did you want it this size or bigger? >> reporter: and in chicago, lululemon has yoga classes and meditatio

other sites also offer cash back year-round, all boding well for consumers, helping them save vicky nguyen, nbc news, new york >>> up next for us, the incredible shot with an even more amazing prize. >> announcer: "nbc nightly news" is brought to you by pacific life a reliable income that lets you retire without retiring from life that's the power of pacific. >>> finally, the oklahoma student who scored big, very big at last night's game here is blayne alexander. >> reporter: call it one heck of a hail mary halftime at last night's season opener for the university of oklahoma basketball team freshman cale montis was plucked from the crowd to try his hand at a half court shot and he delivered but wait 'til you hear what he won. free college tuition for an entire year a half court heave worth thousands of dollars. turns out cale does know a thing or two about bask keeping extra money in their pockets thanks to a very lucky shot blayne alexander, nbc news >> awesome shot. congratulations to cale >>> that's "nightly news." [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ i got this feelin' inside my bones ♪ ♪ it goe

vicky nguyen, nbc news, new york >> we were talking about the holidays seems like michele grossman again, good morning, again >> temperatures are so cold. we are so not ready for it we've been talking about this for days it's finally here. we're going to see it over the next cup many weeks actually it's going to stay with us for a while. there is the huge jet stream opening the door for the looking at temperaturesblast. at or below freezing feeling colder than many spots chicago 31 th cold it is. temperatures in the 20s in the upper midwest. off to the rockies we're looking at temperatures in the 40s >>> yeah, that cold weather is everywhere from the rockies to the west and we have a cold blast coming next week as well, even colder than this one. christmas decorations, holiday decorations coming up, too in today's quick hits, a large crowd gathered outside of chris ow sale outside his home he promised big mark downs on designer items >> the solution for college students dealing with a lack of privacy in their dorms it's a big tv port to watch shows without being disturbed. >> drag race q

here's nbc's vicky nguyen with some tips for you. >> reporter: tis the season for savings both in storest make any purchases until you find a sale or a deal or a cashback offer. >> reporter: what should you buy right now? clothing, outerwear, beauty products, electronics and cookwear. the but wait until after the holidays to buy things like linens and fitness equipment. is when it comes to toys. retail experts store shelves are full of toys, but in the ten days leading up to christmas you could see lower prices. you also run the risk of popular toys running out. if you're shopping brick and mortar, here's how to get the best deals. start early in the morning right when the stores open. many retailers offer doorbuster deals, but they don't last all day. >> skip the front of store and head straight to the back. these items are less likely to be picked over and you'll have a lot better selection. whatever deals you will see in stores you will probably find online too. but that doesn't mean you can't get an even better deal. >> it only takes a couple of minutes to look around the internet, d

nbc's vicky nguyen with tonight's "those who serve" >> reporter: rick stayskal, a marine turned army green beret, was awarded a purple heart after he got shot by a sniper in iraq now he is in another battle for his life, fighting stage iv lung cancer >> i just remember being heartbroken and sad for my wife, for my kids. >> reporter: during a military physical in january of 2017, doctors took a ct scan of his chest but failed to note this mass in his lungs. four months later, he was rushed to the er on base. this time a doctor noted an abnormality that needed attention, but stayskal says he was sent home, told it was possibly pneumonia. it wasn't until he was allowed to see a civilian specialist that he learned it was cancer >> we'll never know what would have happened if we caught it six months earlier. >> and it makes me sad that our girls might have to grow up without a father. >> reporter: the stayskals wanted accountability, but discovered a 1950 supreme court ruling bars active duty military from suing th government for medical malpractice. the case law, known as the feres doctr

nbc investigative and consumer correspondent vicky nguyen has how to use coupons to stretch your budgetlidays and beyond >> reporter: tis the season of giving, and this year consumers are expected to spend more than a thousand dollars during the holidays >> ready >> reporter: 33-year-old katie hernandez, a mom of two from southern california, is showing us how to save on the year's biggest meal >>> you're telling me we can get an entire holiday meal for $30 >> under $30 for ten people. >> reporter: that's right, turkey >> about 49 cents a pound. when it does, you can stack that with other coupons >> reporter: and all the trimmings. >> the next thing we're going to buy is stuffering. these are on sale for $1.29 a box. >> reporter: all bargain buys. the moment of truth? 29.03. >> we nailed it. couponing means saving 50 cents off a can of soup. to me it means saving on things that come into our home. >> reporter: how do you make that happen? >> all of it ends up bs eitie's perfect storm. let's use wrapping paper as an example. wrapping paper retails for $10 it's on sale for $6. she has a m

. >> hi, good morning, i'm vicky nguyen, coming up next, can you spot the difference between these toysmazon but one comes from a third-party seller why does it matter because you might not be getting what you expected. coming up, i'll tell you what to watch out for before you buy anything on amazon that's next. >>> but first, these messages. skin sin #17... too many after-parties. new neutrogena® bright boost with dullness-fighting neoglucosamine. boosts cell turnover by 10 times for instantly brighter skin. bright boost neutrogena®. ♪ cheerios are made with whole grain oats. simple, trusted and heart healthy. ♪ multigrain cheerios. 5 whole grains, a hint of sweetness, and a lot of good. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ nothing feels like connecting with the people that matter. ♪ holiday inn. holiday inn express. we're there. so you can be too. (military mom's family) love you! miss you guys! ♪ (joy ofodu) we got this! ♪ (kids) wow! santa was here! (military mom's husband) whoa. (military mom's husband) how did this happen? (military mom) i think i know. (military mom's husband) merry christmas honey. (militar

immediate steps you can take to save some money anda our nbc investigative and consumer correspondent vicky nguyenedications their families rely on some families so desperate they ration their medications this morning, we're going to show you how to get those prescriptions for less with real savings that add up. prescription drug prices are on the rise jumping 9% a year from 2008 to 2016 the average americans pace about $1,200 out of pocket on their prescription medications each year so how can you save? meet single mom stephanie and her 16-year-old daughter haley from dallas. they both suffer from allergies. >> we have multiple allergy medicines, most we take on a daily basis. >> what is it like if you don't have your meds. >> it's miserable, constantly blowing your nose and especially with my inhaler, you can't take a full breath. >> reporter: stephanie says she pace $2,600 a year on prescription meds. i get to work looking for savings. first tip, get a membership to pharmacies at stores like costco, kmart or kroger. >> if you join the kroger pharmacy membership club for a small fee your prescri

vicky nguyen, bay area news. >>> and to a public horse riding option, coming back it golden gate parkweekend. the city's recreation and park department says the ranch will have guided trail rides and lessons that can be all booked online. they say except for a brief time in 2017, it has been 18 years, since the city offered horseback riding in golden gate park. >>> it is 7:54. we have much more ahead on "today in the bay," coming up, it is a first for the clear the shelters segment, a guinea pig. meet apricot. next. >>> welcome back. it is time for our "clear the shelters" segment featuring our friends from pets in need, program director martha hollander is here with the palo alto adoption manager, and here with apricot, a guinea pig, i think this is a first for us. >> this is a first. >> because you had your redwood city location for years, about 50 years, and you adopted cats and dogs, but now that you're open in palo alto, you adopt out all sorts of animals. or i should say you rescue all sorts of animals. >> yes and then adopt them out. >> and then adopt them out. exactly. >> so t

i'm vicky nguyen.n "today," the average american spends about $1,200 out of pocket per year on precipitation medication. but we found ways to save you hundreds of dollars. we're going to show you, from the apps on your phone to memberships you don't know about. plus, the specific questions you need to ask your pharmacist or doctor to make sure you're getting the very best price on your meds. we saved hundreds of dollars for two families and we're going to show you how you can do it, too. that's coming up this morning on "today." don't miss the grand opening of the new floor & decor in milpitas. if you have never been to a floor & decor, you have to go to the grand opening. hardwoods, laminates, tile or stone. holy smokes, this place is huge! i'm on a budget and i was able to go to floor & decor, and save a lot of money. you will be blown away by this experience. the pros come here. i come here. if you love your wallet, and you love your home, you have to go. floor & decor. opening november 14th in milp

sam brock and vicky nguyen, see them on the "today" show and "nbc nightly news."proud of them but we miss them, too. ♪ here she comes again dolly parton on nbc. >> she's been working " ♪ 9:00 to 5:00 for as long as she can remember, her combination of looks, talent and charmed propelled her from a dirt poor upbringing to the most susf countryisof all-time, 26 n on billboard country charts. eight grammy awards and 100 million albums sold. tonight she celebrates 25 years of success at the grand ol' opry. >> that was my dream when i was a kid. you got to celebrate 50 years, i'm not even 50 years old. ha, ha. >> she's 73. >> she looks like a million bucks. that's how much it costs. we will always love dolly parton. ♪ and i she's the writer of that song, if you didn't know. tonight airs at 9:00 after "the voice" here on nbc bay area. disney plus is averaging nearly 2 million new subscribers per day. the mobile app has been downloaded more than 15 million times and a lot of people are paying to subscribe. disney plus raked in $5 million through in-app purchases. set to

actually going to give you some money back for your purchases investigative and correspondent vicky nguyen thinking about buying a few things for yourself, you'll be able to get as much as 20% cash back on your purchases. cash back day kicks off at midnight and lasts 24 hours, and we're going to show you how to make the most of it. >> hold the turkey and pile on the savings before thanksgiving. consumer savings web site retail me not rounding up hundreds of retailers to offer you up to 20% cash back for your online holiday purchases on cash back day, a 24-hour shopping holiday on the first thursday of november. >> if you're looking to shop in any category you can guarantee you're going to find that category and that particular store on cash back day. >> stores like macy's offering 20% cash back and neiman marcus, 16%, online retailers like am amazon and overstock participating too, even cvs photo with 20%, and home depot with 14, plus, hundreds more that means cash back deals on apparel, electronics, shoes, jewelry and toys. >> there are some retailers who are offering a little bit more an

. >> now is the time to shop for your meal, nbc's investigative consumer correspondent vicky nguyen is do the work for you. one weekend to go until thanksgiving five days until the big holiday. with a little planning and strategy we're going to have leftovers with turkey and cash >> with the three national stores, the first is whole foods. >> it has a reputation it's not cheap >> whole paycheck. >> how can you save money at whole foods? >> we shopped three big chains, whole foods is where we started. $2 off the crescent rolls, a dollar off the gravy, we want to make sure everybody knows we shopped the same items at all three chains whole foods, aldi's and walmart, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, gravy, cider apple pie. very important. >> you got your turkey at whole foods. >> we got the turkey, another $0.50 off. the grand total was $95, with your prime membership, we knocked another 15% off, brought it down to $82. >> what's the next store you went to? >> aldi's this is a national discount grocery retailer. this is fun, we did it the traditional way, the circular, you go in, see the

back with today's holiday consumer, our season-long guide to saving you some money >> yes nbc's vicky nguyen you don't have to spend a fortune on your thanksgiving meal. what if i said you could feed ten people for under $30 that's a turkey meal, not ramen. it night sound too good to be true but i'm going to show you how to stretch your budget through the holidays and beyond. 'tis the season of giving, and this year, consumers are expected to spend more than $1,000 during the holidays 33-year-old katie hernandez, a mom of two from southern california, is showing us how to save on the year's biggest meal. >> you're telling me we can get an entire holiday meal for $30 >> under $30 for 10 people. >> reporter: that's right. turkey >> we're looking for 49 cents a pound and then when it does, you can stack that with other coupons. >> reporter: and all the trimmings. >> the next thing we're going to buy is going to be stuffing. on sale for just $1.29 a box. >> reporter: cranberry sauce, green beans, all bargain buys. the moment of truth? >> $29.03. nailed it. coupons to most people means saving 50